The Fox and the Weasel
by Helike
Summary: A collection of short stories and drabbles about Itachi and Naruto; all of them written for my little sister on the prompts given by her and other people. Some other characters might be mentioned.
1. Beyond understanding

One of the first drabbles I've ever written :) A gift for my beloved imouto-chan :heart: More to be written soon.

Prompt given: about Sasuke

**I do not own Naruto.**

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**Beyond understanding**

There are a few things about himself that Itachi would never admit to, but even he can't ignore the obvious facts. One of them is his newly discovered possessiveness towards _his_ Jinchuuriki – the only obsession he has ever had.

He keeps watching Naruto, sees to what lengths the boy can go in order to "save" his little foolish brother, even though Sasuke doesn't want to be saved apparently, and finally decides that it's not something he, Itachi, can understand.

"Why?" he asks Naruto one day.

"Because he's like a brother to me," Naruto says and his eyes flash with determination.

Itachi remembers the words. And sometimes he wishes it wasn't Sasuke that Naruto seems to care so much about.

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**TBC**

Just a teaser. There will be more drabbles like this one and not-so-short stories, all of them about Itachi and Naruto. Wanna suggest a prompt? Go ahead.

The next one is much longer, you know :P 1187 words and the next one 2353 words. See? It's getting longer and longer :D


	2. Dying of his hand

1 187 words. Hope you're satisfied this time:) I took up **And-You-Thought-I-Cared**'s suggestion, so... there is one person who _kind of _ knows what to expect here. For the exact prompt read the author's notes at the bottom** after** you've read the story. I'm really sorry if it's not what you really expected. I tried, but the story mutated a bit on its own. It focuses a bit more on Itachi and Sasuke this time (Sorry, read between the lines if you want to see something more.) I'm still scared of possible reactions DX

I'm afraid that there are people that would like to kill me for this fic once they've read it, so let me state this clearly – I do not hate any of the Uchiha brothers. Thank you.

**Warnings:** Character death. Possible OOC-ness of Itachi (explanation in the notes). No spoilers (YAY!)

**Summary:** It is the day he has been waiting for all these years, the day for which they both have waited in this way or another. This fight, the final fight, is like a dance. Itachi POV. Characters: Itachi, Sasuke, Naruto.

**I do not own Naruto.** If I did, the brothers would still be brothers.

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**Dying of his hand**

'So many big words, so little actions that would confirm them.'

He lets the words slip his mouth while watching his brother – his little, foolish brother – who has finally found him in order to get his revenge. He glances at the boy's face, so similar to his own and almost as much emotionless as his, and a part of his mind notices the fact with some kind of that strange pride or satisfaction he should not feel at all, but he does for some reason. It seems that the boy has finally learnt how to control his own emotions and his anger – a little thing that makes him, Sasuke, a better warrior, a formidable opponent and a powerful enemy maybe.

Despite himself he feels something. Some kind of anticipation or impatience maybe, but the feeling is so weak, so barely noticeable, that he can't describe or identify it. Yet it still is present at the edge of his sub-consciousness and for some reason it feels right, although it shouldn't. Yet there is no time for pondering on the matter, he decides.

'Tell me, Sasuke, what do you see with these eyes?' he asks his brother, although the question is actually pointless; it must be, as in this way or another he has known the answer already. After all he, Itachi, is the reason why the boy has decided to follow the path he does. But the question just feels right – as if it has had to be asked.

The boy glares at him before he replies. His body tenses, but he stays still, only his fists clench. 'I see your death,' the answer comes after a while.

Sasuke's eyes flash with crimson when he activates his Sharingan. There is a short while of hesitation before he moves and attacks, and then he starts to fight for real. It is the day he has been waiting for all these years, the day for which they both have waited in this way or another. And then it's as if Hell opened its gates and a fight, the final fight, begins.

Metal collides with metal with quite a loud clank and the sound is repeated with every shuriken thrown and stopped in the middle of its flight and with every kunai blocked by other kunai. This fight is like a dance – they exchange blows, swirling around each other until the whole world seems to lose its shape as well and starts to swirl together with them, faster, faster and faster, to the point it seems to be impossible. And then it swirls even faster.

Time passes by, the fight continues, but the brothers' skills seem to be equal and for a while Itachi thinks that if it ever ends, then none of them will win or they'll both be dead at the end of it. But then something unexpected happens – there is a short moment of inattention on one of the brother's side, as if he hesitates, and the kunai pierces through one of the brother's heart. And that's where the fight ends.

'Nii... san...' the words are whispered in his chest, Sasuke's hands clutch on the fabric of Itachi's clothes and despite himself Itachi raises his hands, letting them rest on Sasuke shoulders, and moves the boy away and then he looks at his face.

There is some feeling of disbelief or surprise in those eyes, now black as his Sharingan has been deactivated, which gaze at him accusing him, Itachi, of everything. Of the hope lost and destroyed, of the dreams shattered. Of this life that could have been, but it has never been and never will. There is something about the situation that doesn't feel right, doesn't feel right at all – as if it wasn't supposed to end in THIS way... And the feeling is strange, he tries to convince himself, because the fight, everything – that's what he has wanted, what they both have wanted, but the feeling does not go away. He closes his eyes and all of sudden the scenes from his, Itachi's, life – his old life – appear.

The images flash through his mind – so many and so fast that it seems to be almost impossible to recognize and remember them, but somehow he manages to _see_ all of them. He is teaching Sasuke how to throw a kunai. He and Sasuke are talking – about dreams, about future. He and Sasuke are sitting on the porch. He and Sasuke are going home together. Him and Sasuke. There always is him and Sasuke. And for some reason Itachi feels somewhat surprised that there are so many memories and that in all of them Sasuke appears.

When he finally opens his eyes and looks at his brother's face again, it appears that the accusing look has disappeared. The boy is gone, his eyes are now blank and empty, and Itachi finds himself kneeling down on the ground, still holding Sasuke in his arms, although there is no point in doing so.

In that moment something, everything, changes. There is blood on his hands, part of the "blood" he has already shed. There are feelings that should not exist; feelings which existence he denies and has always denied, but they appear anyway. There is some kind of regret, reason of which is unknown to him and which can't be easily explained. Finally, there is something more – some other feeling, some strange feeling of loss and something else, which he can't even name.

He sits there, by Sasuke's side, his head hung, the hands resting on his thighs and his fingers twitching a bit. All that confusing feelings are gone now, only some strange indifference is left. For some reason he doesn't feel like moving at all, although he knows he should leave this place. He should leave that body, his brother's body, behind and forget, but he can't. Instead he stays where he is, as if waiting for something, maybe for some miracle that might or might not happen.

'Sa... Sasuke...' the voice behind him whispers.

He needn't look back to know by whom the words are said, but he does. It's not a surprise to see THAT boy here – Naruto would follow Sasuke everywhere.

'Too late...' he's not aware that he's spoken until he hears his own voice. He doesn't move, just... waits, and maybe expects something. He can't say. And the boy stands still as well.

He watches Naruto. There is sorrow in those blue eyes. And sadness and guilt and _something_ else. Naruto's eyes are wide opened as if he still couldn't believe that what he sees is true, his fists clench involuntarily and for a while it seems that the boy doesn't know what to do or what to say. And, surprisingly, for some reason it almost hurts. There are feelings that Itachi would expect to see on that face, but he can't. Not because his eyesight fails him, but because these feelings aren't there.

Then, there is a change. Something awakes. Everything seems to turn to black, with a red and a silver flashing through that unexpected darkness. And it's as if the world falls apart.

And that's where everything ends.

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**A/N:** Hello, Magi speaking again. (yes, Magi is my name :P)

1. The prompt: _Sasuke dying of Itachi__s hand_.

2. Possible OOCness - seeing in what direction the manga is going right now and in what way Itachi's character is developed, I no longer know what should be considered OOC in his case and what should be not.

3. Before you attack me for Itachi's "mourning" his brother:  
1) Browse through the chapters with the fight in the Valley of the End. Itachi was very bad at lying as a kid, his face always screamed "don't believe me" when he lied. Can you see the same expression when the brothers spent their time together? I can't. Yes, I know what he said. And I don't believe him. Sue me.

2) Sometimes, even if we think that some matters or people are not really important to us and that we don't care about them, in the end it appears we have been wrong and believed in something that has never been true in fact.

3) My personal opinion – Itachi is not emotionless. He suppresses his emotions to the point in which he almost doesn't feel them, but the emotions still are there. Thus, his reactions here.

Wanna suggest a prompt? Go ahead :)


	3. Guilt

I'm so sorry :cries: I know it took ages to write it, my apologies :bows: First, I was a bit MIA, than it almost turned into KIA and then Naruto refused to cooperate. But I've finally finished this one and... it's almost twice as long as the previous one was and will be followed by another oneshot soon, so maybe you'll forgive me...

I was writing the story while listening to _Gravity_ by A Perfect Circle. Taking into consideration how many times I've heard the song, I should have learnt the lyrics by heart already, but I haven't ;P

**Genre:** General/Tragedy/Angst  
**Warnings:** AU. Character death. Itachi's reactions are based on the revelations of the latest chapter. No spoilers, though. More in the author's notes at the end.  
**Summary:** He'll get there on time, no matter what, there is no doubt about it, because there is something that he has to do; something that only he can do and no one else. Naruto's POV. I hope I didn't make him OOC :cries: Continuation of the previous one, _Dying of his hand_.  
**I do not own Naruto.** If I did, the brothers would still be brothers. And Itachi would be mine ;P

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**Guilt**

_Brothers should be brothers._

That's what Naruto thinks when he tries to force his body to move faster and faster in order to continue this murderous run. He's close to his limits, he knows about it, but he keeps running, because there is no time left. There is no time to stop and rest, as every second wasted in such a way could mean that he'll come to the place, _that place_, too late.

_Too late for what?_

The thought brings a frown to his face when he tries to find the answer, but for some reason his mind refuses to cooperate. Is it tiredness that affects him in this way? Or is there some other reason? He can't say.

His body feels tired, so tired, but he keeps running, trying to keep the pace he has set for himself. He stumbles and, although he doesn't fall, despite himself he stops for a while. It's been a few seconds only, but he feels guilty; so guilty that almost immediately he starts to run again. He'll get there on time, no matter what - there is no doubt about it - because there is something that he has to do; something that only he can do. Only him and no one else.

'Because only I can stop them.'

His face is unexpectedly serious when the words are finally said. His blue eyes flash with determination when he runs and his mind is focused on one thought only.

_I must stop them._

Tiredness has almost got him and it's only his determination that makes him run. Air is like liquid fire that burns his lungs with every breath he takes. Drops of sweat start to get into his eyes making his vision blurry until he wipes them way with one impatient gesture.

Somewhere at the edge of his consciousness Kyuubi wakes and roars in anticipation of what is to happen. Slowly the demon's chakra mixes with his, but Naruto doesn't try to stop the process, deciding that at least once that demonic power could be used to his own advantage. Slowly his eyes turn red and the pupils change their shape. The demon inside him roars again and Naruto growls.

_I MUST STOP THEM!_

Finally he finds the place he was told about not so long time ago, but it feels as if ages had already passed since that moment. Here is his aim – the one he's been chasing for so long and nothing and no one can stop him now. He feels relieved and the feeling is so strong that all of sudden, for a moment shorter than a heartbeat, his limbs almost go numb, making him stumble again. Kyuubi is gone now, he's disappeared from his mind, but... he doesn't really need him anymore, Naruto decides. Not now, when he's finally got to the place.

He runs the corridor, focused on a bright patch of light he can see at the end of it, counting the seconds that pass and with every step he takes, he gets closer and closer to his aim.

Sasuke. _And... Itachi._

_Closer. And closer. So close._

When he finally enters the place, the light blinds him at first. He stops and blinks a few times, moving his eyes from one side to another and trying to ignore the fact that they've got rather watery.

It takes a while before he can see again. What he notices first is two human silhouettes in the middle of the place he has just entered. Once he's seen them, his heart starts its crazy dance leaping with joy in expectation of that meeting long awaited and his mouth opens to cry that word he's wanted to say for so long and...

_Something is wrong._

Where does the thought come from? He looks at the two men – one of them sitting on the ground and holding the other one in his arms... and the sudden realization comes.

'Sa... Sasuke...'

Instead of a cheerful cry, only a weak whisper escapes his mouth. He stares at the scene, _sees_ it, but his brain refuses to accept the truth.

The man sitting on the ground turns his head in Naruto's direction and for a short while Naruto is trapped by the look of these crimson eyes. The eyes he knows too well.

'Too late...' Itachi says.

There is no emotion in his voice, but for some reason it sounds different from his usual emotionless way of speaking. His voice is as quiet as a whisper and for a short while Naruto thinks that the man is not quite aware that he has said anything.

_It can't be..._

He stays still, his eyes wide opened, and only his hands move. His fists clench involuntarily when he stands there, looking at them both - the man who hasn't moved since Naruto entered the place and only watches him for some reason, unknown to Naruto, and that inert body he's been holding in his arms...

_Too late..._

His own sorrow overwhelms him, making him unable to move. And then the other feelings appear. There is some guilt he feels. He knows he has failed and now it's impossible to turn back the time and make the things be in the way they should have been. There are some other feelings, too, but they seem to be so mixed with one another that Naruto can't even name them.

_I failed... I couldn't stop them..._

All of sudden anger appears; that strange kind of anger, aimed at everything and nothing at the same moment. Aimed at Naruto himself, because it is his fault that he came here too late to stop the brothers and to prevent the tragedy. Aimed at Sasuke, because it was his fault that he chose to follow the path of self-destruction and was so blinded by his revenge that could see nothing but the revenge only and that's what cost him his life in the end. Aimed at Itachi, because... hadn't it been for him, it all would have never happen. The feeling arouses inside of Naruto, consumes him, and somehow Kyuubi wakes again.

This time he's not strong enough to keep the demon inside and the beast takes over his mind and his thoughts almost completely and there is only a little part of Naruto left. His nails changes into claws and his fists clench. His eyes turn red completely and marks on his cheeks become more visible. He stays still for a while and then he starts to move all of sudden, his speed significantly increased due to Kyuubi's power. Now there is only one thought left.

_I WON'T FORGIVE...!_

Yet even Naruto can't say whom he will never forgive... Is it Itachi? Or is it Naruto himself?

With some surprise he realizes that Itachi doesn't even try to avoid his attack. He's still in the same place, as if waiting for him, Naruto, to attack him, and only watches him with the eyes from which all feelings have disappeared. If not for Kyuubi, maybe he would stop in this moment, just after seeing these eyes, but he doesn't. Kyuubi roars and all thoughts disappear from Naruto's mind. He's by Itachi's side now, his hands reach out to clench the man's neck and break it. The Uchiha doesn't even try to defend himself and for a short while Naruto looks into these eyes again – these dark eyes with no Sharingan in them, so similar to Sasuke's and so different at the same time.

And that's when _something_ happens. Time seems to stop, the world seems to fall apart and everything turns black with some reds and silvers flashing through the darkness. Something breaks inside of him and...

Naruto wakes from that nightmare, his eyes open in a shot, his heart pounding in his chest; pounding so hard that it almost causes a physical pain. He sits for a longer while, leaned against the tree behind his back. His head is hung and his hand clutches on the fabric of his shirt.

He's unaware that he's been crying until a single tear wets his hand. Surprised, he moves the hands to his face only to discover that it's wet. How long has he been crying in this way? Since the dream started? Finished? He can't say.

Long minutes pass before he gets over that nightmare which isn't a nightmare in fact. It's one of his memories – the worst he has ever had. The memory that keeps haunting him and which appears every time he closes his eyes. It's the memory of _that_ day.

He moves his eyes to the fire and for a short while he feels relieved that it didn't go out while he was sleeping. He feels a twinge of guilt as well, because he shouldn't have fallen asleep in this way. It was his duty to stay on guard this night, but he failed... again. Yet the feeling disappears quickly and only indifference is left. What one more failure might mean now, when he's already failed in _that_ way?

_I'm not the only one that failed._

His eyes move to the man sleeping on the other side of the fire. Its leaping flames give enough light to make Itachi's face visible to him, but it's still covered with shadows changing their shapes every second. Maybe that's the reason why in this feeble light for a short while Itachi seems to look like his little brother. That view makes Naruto's heart hurt again.

He pulls his knees to the chest and sits in this way watching the flames and the man, but in some way it's more like looking inside of himself.

The truth is that he should have killed the man. He should have done it when they were still in that place and then he should have left Itachi's dead body behind and... forgotten. But he didn't. Why?

He covers his face with the hand and then rubs his forehead with the fingers. Why did he save the man?

_Because I'm not like any of them..._

The thought just pops up in his mind and he lets himself get lost in his thoughts, once again remembering the day.

In that place, when he looked into Itachi's eyes, something broke inside of him. The man didn't use his Sharingan on him – the thing had already been deactivated – but he didn't need to do that in fact. It was the look of these eyes that defeated him in some way.

Itachi... Even though usually rather emotionless, this time there was something completely different about him and his "being emotionless". This time it wasn't just lack of emotion; it was more like some kind of emptiness – as if he had lost something that had been important to him. That was what Naruto saw in Itachi's eyes back then and that's why instead of breaking the man's neck, he let his hands clutch on the fabric of the black cloak Itachi wore.

'Why...? What was all that for?' he growled looking into Itachi's eyes.

The man made no move.

'... it was... essential...' the answer came.

Itachi didn't avert his look, but he closed his eyes for a while and for a short moment he seemed to be rather withdrawn; so withdrawn that Naruto blinked in surprise. That surprise itself let him suppress Kyuubi's influence completely.

'Essential...? For what...?'

He didn't expect the answer to this question. All of sudden he felt tired, so tired that he let his hands fall along his body and hung his head, not being able to look at the Uchiha any longer. That's how he stood – too weak to move in any way.

'It wasn't supposed to end in this way...' a barely audible whisper came.

Naruto tossed his head hearing the words, and looked at the Uchiha with a surprised look on his face. Itachi's voice was so quiet that he wasn't even sure if the words were really said or was it only his imagination that made him hear them. Then his eyes met Itachi's and for the first time he could see something in them – some feelings, barely noticeable, yet definitely present.

Uzumaki blinked. Was it some guilt or sadness? Naruto couldn't say, but he was almost sure that the Uchiha might have been unaware of them. The feelings disappeared quickly and even Naruto couldn't say if he really saw them or once again it was his own imagination that deceived him. Yet it didn't matter anymore, as his decision had already been made...

The decision...

He shakes his head. With some effort he brings himself back to reality and moves his eyes to Itachi again, watching him for a while. In this weak light his face looks different – younger and calmer. For a short while he wonders if Itachi also happens to have nightmares. Even if he does, he's never mentioned them.

Naruto sighs. Even if he tried, he couldn't say what Itachi really felt and wanted in that moment and in some way he still isn't sure about it. That tiny voice in his head whispers that in fact the Uchiha wanted to die in that place and it's not a possibility that Naruto can really exclude, as he does remember the man looking at him as if he expected something to happen.

Is it true what he thought that he saw for a while on that day? But why should Itachi want to be killed back then? Even the thought itself is ridiculous. But aren't the other thoughts ridiculous as well? Why did Naruto save him?

_Because I'm not like him... I'm not like any of them..._

That's what Naruto tries to tell himself, but even he is not so sure of it anymore. There are moments when he thinks that from the beginning they all must have been damned in this way or another and kept making the choices that finally led them all to the tragedy. And if from the beginning they all haven't been that much different from one another, maybe that's the reason why now, when Sasuke is gone, Naruto has been following the other Uchiha?

Is it really true? Naruto can't say.

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THE END

A/N: 1. The prompt: **Guilt** (suggested by **ShinyaDiey**)

2. Itachi is OOC? Well... He's not apparently. Catch up with the manga :P

3. My personal opinion – Itachi is not emotionless. He suppresses his emotions to the point in which he almost doesn't feel them, but the emotions still are there. Thus, his reactions here.

4. The scene in which Naruto questions Itachi about his reasons is a reflection of the scene from the manga in which a similar question was asked by Sasuke. Also Itachi's reaction is a reflection of the scene. Don't believe me? Check the chapter 224 :P

**Okay. I've been thinking. All of sudden I've decided that I like this plot too much and started to wonder if anybody would be interested in seeing the story based on it. You know: Sasuke is killed accidentally by Itachi, Naruto finds them both and since that moment Naruto and Itachi try to find their own way in life. A separate multi-chaptered story. Anybody interested?**

Wanna suggest the prompt? Go ahead.


	4. The Night

My apologies for not updating the story for... over 3 months? D: A few things happened in the meantime, the writer's block included. But now you have a new story, full of fluff (?), and you know what? It's over 4500 words this time, so I hope you'll forgive me. Anyway, the longer explanation is below, at the end of the story.

To **Nemesis Jedi**: I don't care in what form you leave the prompts for me XD The last one was simply great and it already gave me some ideas :hearts: Besides, I love your reviews :)

To all readers/reviewers/people who keep the story on their alert lists: Thank you for your support :D

**This time I have an AU story for you. The world is similar to ours and Itachi is just a normal boy who from time to time happen to babysit his little brother and his brother's best friend, Naruto.** Not the greatest story ever, probably, but I'll do my best to make the next one much better than this one, okay?

**Humour with bits of seriousness. ItaNaru-ish fluff (I think that's how it it's called). PG-ish.**

Somebody, please, explain me why Sasuke always appears in all of them XD; He'll be in the next one, too.

**I do not own Naruto.**

**!! ANOUNCEMENT !! (May 6th, 2009)**

It appears that this story has been nominated to the ItaNaru Contest Awards in the category Best One-Shot in Romance/Fluff and Best WIP in Romance/Fluff. Whoever you are, you who nominated this story... Thank you :bows: You have my eternal gratitude.

More information about the contest here: http:// community. livejournal. com / itanaru_award /

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**The Night  
**

"Brother!"

"Missed ya, 'Tachi!"

The simultaneous and rather loud cries were accompanied by a sound of feet pounding on the floor when two boys were doing their best at – literally – running into Itachi.

_BUMP!_

Itachi took an unsteady step back, trying to regain his balance. He only sighed with resignation and shook his head, feeling somewhat relieved that at least _this_ time he managed to avoid being knocked down to the ground – a price he sometimes paid for an enthusiastic welcome given him by Sasuke and Naruto. Not that he actually minded it – even though somewhat risky at times, this babysitting related stuff could be interesting and rather heartwarming. It was something that even Itachi couldn't deny, at least not when he was being hugged by the two little – and maybe a bit too energetic at times – boys, who at the moment were doing their best at expressing how important he was to them.

Although Itachi had never been a cuddly person, he didn't oppose to such a welcome. All that hugging stuff was a kind of a tradition after all – one of Sasuke's habits that Naruto had quickly picked up despite the initial reluctance. Obviously Itachi had never found out what exactly had persuaded Naruto to make such a decision, but sometimes he suspected his little brother's part in the whole process – definitely, it wasn't something that would surprise Itachi if ever revealed.

He glanced at Sasuke and Naruto, and what he saw gave him a fuzzy feeling inside. The both boys, with their little arms still wrapped around Itachi's waist, were giving him the best of their smiles and he couldn't help but smile back at them, resting his hands on the boys' shoulders.

"Did you have a good day?" he asked and the boys nodded quickly in the reply, tightening their embraces and smiling even wider.

"Play with us later?" Sasuke asked, giving him a pleading look.

"Yeah, yeah... play with us, 'Tachi! It won't be the same without you!" Naruto quickly picked up Sasuke's suggestion and looked at Itachi with the eyes full of hope and expectation.

Itachi blinked trying to break a spell that was being casted on him at the moment, but seeing the cheerful and expecting looks on the both boys' faces, he found himself unable to refuse.

"We'll see later," he replied finally, feeling how his lips were curving slightly, forming a smile he couldn't suppress. Definitely – some magic must have been working here.

He was still smiling when the boys finally released him from the double hug, quickly took off their shoes and coats and rushed to the living room, which was to be their main play place today. Itachi slowly followed them.

Having sat on the sofa, with a book in his hand, he watched playing boys, letting himself get lost in his thoughts for a short while. Inevitably, the object of his pondering became the boys and... babysitting itself.

Contrary to the popular belief – held by people who didn't know Itachi well and assumed that this calm, quiet and apparently emotionless boy would rather be interested in science and studying only – he didn't really mind babysitting. A kind of a duty and obligation at first, quickly it had become something he thoroughly enjoyed, as it was a perfect excuse allowing him to spend more time with his little brother – something that Itachi had never regretted. Besides, it gave him a chance to focus on the activity in which he excelled – observing without necessity (not always at least) to interact.

He chuckled, seeing how his brother's personality seemed to change during the play. Even though rather lively, in some mysterious way Sasuke became even more energetic in Naruto's presence and Itachi was almost certain that even their parents would witness such a transformation with a surprise. Itachi himself definitely didn't mind that change. Well... at least usually he didn't mind. He winced, suddenly remembering how many times he had had to save his little brother from some dangerous situations that Sasuke had managed to get himself into, out of which tree climbing was definitely the _safest_ one.

After a short while he moved his eyes and thoughts from Sasuke to Naruto. The boy, their neighbours' son, just like Sasuke was a lovely child, but unlike Sasuke he seemed to possess some special ability to be in many – _too many_ if you were to ask Itachi – places at the same time. However, despite that trait – which not necessarily was a flaw in Itachi's eyes (not always at least) – Naruto quickly had managed to take his own place in Itachi's heart, just like Sasuke had. In some way the boy was a little beam of the sunlight in the older Uchiha's life.

Itachi smiled at the thought and continued his observation for a few more seconds before he finally moved his attention – or at least part of it, as part of his mind had to be focused on the boys just in case – to the book, determined to enjoy it as much as and as long as he could.

* * *

A few hours later Itachi was sitting in his room, not even thinking about turning on the light. The darkness didn't really bother him; besides, the room was kind of lit by a dim light of a small lamp standing on the night table.

The boys were sleeping soundly in Sasuke's room – at least they were sleeping last time he checked – and finally, after long hours spent on babysitting and playing with the boys, Itachi had some time for himself. Actually he should be going to sleep soon as well, but for a while he didn't really feel like it, especially knowing that their parents wouldn't be back for a few more hours at least. That's why he made himself comfortable on the bed, wrapping himself in a blanket and turning his gaze to the window and to what he could see through it.

Usually, when weather permitted, he would see stars shyly blinking at him from the dark, night sky. Sometimes that dark sky would also be illuminated by the moon, bathing everything in its dim, silver light. The silver beams would dance on the river girdling the hill on which the house had been built and played their crazy games with leaves of the trees growing in their garden. The shadows would change their shapes, as if dancing to the music no one except for them could hear, turning the garden into something being a part of some magical or unreal world. Obviously, Itachi couldn't see it from the bed – it stood in a place that allowed him to see the sky only – but he knew it all was there and imagining it wouldn't take him more than a few seconds only.

Yet this time it all was different. The river, the garden and the trees were still there, but now there was something dreadful about the world behind the window, making it completely dissimilar to that fairy–like world he had always loved. He could see heavy, dark clouds gathering in the sky, quickly hiding the moon and stars under their thick layer, and soon the sky was covered by the clouds. The wind died down, but Itachi knew it would rise again soon, as that sudden silence was nothing more than the calm before the storm.

As if in response to his thoughts, a strong gust of wind came from the river and a distant sound of a thunder could be heard.

Itachi shuddered. Thunderstorms were fascinating and he didn't particularly mind them, but he also didn't love night thunderstorms. They brought nightmares to his little brother and Itachi couldn't even count how many times he had been woken up in the middle of such nights by Sasuke looking for comfort after some particularly terrifying nightmare he had just had.

In some way Itachi was glad that he hadn't gone to sleep yet, as it was quite possible that soon he would be woken up by his little brother, but at the same time the thunderstorm heightened that strange feeling of concern or anxiety aroused earlier this day. The feeling itself was rather disturbing, as he didn't remember anything that could make him feel in this way, however, some quiet voice in his head whispered that he should know the reason. It was as if the voice had been telling him that something was about to happen.

Pondering on it, he got lost in his thoughts so much that he hardly heard the sound of the other thunder. It took him some more time to realize that he wasn't alone in the room anymore. Having heard a quiet sound of bare feet pattering on the floor, he turned in the door's direction, expecting to see Sasuke in it, but to his great surprise he discovered that it wasn't his little brother that was standing in the door, but... Naruto.

Itachi squinted, trying to see Naruto better. The room was dark, but not that dark not to see that the boy's face was a bit pale, his eyes wide open and his little hands were clutching tightly on something that Itachi identified as one of Sasuke's plush toys – a pink dinosaur.

"A nightmare?" Itachi asked, although the answer to his question was rather obvious.

Naruto only nodded in the reply.

"And then you couldn't fall asleep again?"

It was a statement rather than a real question and it also was answered by a nod only.

Itachi sighed.

"Would you like me to go with you and stay there until you've fallen asleep?" Itachi asked, smiling at the boy and trying to make the smile look reassuringly.

Naruto shook his head in the reply and gave him a pleading look.

"Could I stay here with you instead?" he asked quietly, still looking at him expectantly.

That sudden quietness and calmness of that loud and energetic boy was definitely unusual and Itachi felt... concerned. He did know that he shouldn't allow Naruto to sit here with him, and that he definitely should ignore that desperate plea (because such little children should be sleeping at this hour – that's what the common sense was telling him), but once again he found himself unable to refuse the boy. Feeling somewhat defeated, he just waved on the boy, knowing that Naruto would interpret the gesture in the right way.

He didn't really expect what happened next. Having seen him wave, Naruto quickly ran to the bed, dropped the toy on it and did something he had never done before – he snuggled into Itachi.

"Now... that's something new," Itachi thought staring at the boy burying the face in his shirt and clutching its fabric as if his life had been to depend on it. Naruto's little body was trembling and Itachi was sure that the cold definitely was not the reason of it. Nevertheless, he covered Naruto with the blanket and then, not really sure what to do, he reacted in the way he always did when Sasuke came to him after having woken from a nightmare. He put his hands on Naruto's shoulders and back, locking the boy in a warm embrace.

It took a few minutes before the tensed body in his arms relaxed, however, the boy didn't move neither he loosened his grip. Despite himself Itachi felt somewhat intrigued. Obviously, he felt disturbed, too, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder what had made Naruto behave in such a way. As far as he knew, the boy had never reacted like that – at least not in his presence. Itachi sighed. He didn't really expect Naruto to tell him what kind of a nightmare he had had, as Naruto, despite his apparent openness, could be quite secretive at times.

"I was lonely..."

Naruto's quiet voice stopped abruptly Itachi's pondering and the Uchiha finally got some idea of what had made Naruto come here to look for comfort.

It was a truth known to a few people only that Naruto had never felt comfortable about loneliness. Even though the reason of such Naruto's reaction was completely unknown to Itachi, he couldn't say that he didn't understand it. The feeling itself – being left alone and lonely – definitely wasn't something that anybody would yearn for, even if some would claim otherwise or... tried to hide what they really felt.

Itachi sighed and glanced at Naruto, suddenly remembering how lightly and casually the boy always talked about himself not really caring about being alone, but there was something about the way the words were said that always made Itachi think that there was more about it than Naruto would ever admit. There was that bit of seriousness, so unusual on this always so cheerful face, and a glint of determination in these blue eyes, just as if Naruto tried to convince not only people around him – his family and friends – but also himself that what he said was what he had always believed in. At least that was how it seemed to Itachi and the boy burying his face in Itachi's shirt was the best confirmation of his suspicions that he could ever get.

"So lonely..." Naruto whispered again and snuggled into Itachi.

Having decided to say nothing, Itachi gently stroke Naruto's hair, remembering that such a simple gesture always calmed down his little brother.

"There was no mom and dad... Sasuke hated me and left me..." After a short while Naruto decided to continue his story and Itachi let him talk, believing that it would help the boy to deal with the effects of the nightmare. "And then..." Naruto's fingers clutched on Itachi's shirt, "Itachi... appeared..."

The boy was talking and talking and Itachi, fascinated and somewhat disturbed at the same time, was listening to Naruto's story. His eyes widened a bit as the story progressed and the somewhat muffled voice in which it was being told – as Naruto's face was still half-buried in Itachi's shirt – together with a distant sound of thunders added some unreal and alarming feeling to the tale which was definitely far away from being cheerful.

Slowly, he started to picture it in his mind. Naruto, left alone, not liked by anyone and even despised for something he could not understand... His little brother following the path to his own destruction, rejecting all the help that his friends offered him, letting his heart sink deeper and deeper in the darkness... And finally him – Itachi – the one following, even chasing Naruto, and, as Naruto claimed, wishing to hurt him.

The young Uchiha shook his head. There was no wonder why Naruto had reacted in such a way. The world described by the boy was so similar to the one they lived in that in some way it was almost scary, but at the same time the differences were striking.

"It was only a dream," he whispered, stroking Naruto's hair, and to his relief the words must have worked as the boy become noticeably calmer.

"Never leave, 'Tachi. Don't go anywhere, will you?" Naruto raised his head and looked at him. His eyes were filled with determination and some desperate plea. "Never."

"I'm not going anywhere," Itachi assured the boy and ruffled his hair.

Naruto extracted himself from Itachi's embrace and sat by Itachi's side. He grabbed the plush dinosaur and hugged it tightly.

"Everyone goes away one day," the boy bit his lips and knitted his brows.

"I won't," Itachi promised.

"Even when you get married?" the boy asked after a short while with a serious expression on his face.

Caught by surprise – well it definitely wasn't a question he would have expected to hear in this situation – Itachi blinked and stared at the boy for a longer while. From a nightmare to a marriage – really, the way in which Naruto's mind skipped from one thought to another was strange at least.

"Married?" Itachi slowly repeated when he regained his ability to speak. "I'm not going to get married any time soon..."

"But you will one day, won't you?" Naruto remarked and his brows drew together again.

"I... I guess that I will," Itachi admitted after a while – well... marriage definitely wasn't something that a 12-year-old boy would think of – wondering why all of sudden the whole situation started to make him feel rather uneasy.

"And then you'll leave." Naruto pouted, unintentionally changing the statement into something that sounded almost like an accusation. "The girls at school say that people always leave then."

Itachi suppressed the sudden urge to hide his face in the hand after hearing the statement. How old could these girls be? 7 years old? He thought about it for a short while, and eventually he decided that the girls should have talked about some things more appropriate for their age instead of giving Naruto some crazy ideas. How should he convince Naruto that he wasn't going to go away?

"Naruto... I have no intention to disappear from anybody's life," he said finally, looking into the boy's eyes and praying that he would manage to convince the boy. "Even if I got married, it's not like I'd just took all my belongings one day and leave to never come back."

"But isn't it what a marriage is about?" Naruto exclaimed. "Two people start to live together and spend more time with each other than with anyone else?"

"It's not quite like that..." Itachi tried to explain but he was suddenly interrupted by Naruto.

"I won't allow it! I don't want Itachi to go away!" The boy exclaimed and his eyes gleamed with determination. "That's why… I'll marry 'Tachi in that case."

_He didn't say THAT..._ Itachi blinked and stared at Naruto. _I must have misheard something..._

"I'll marry 'Tachi," the boy repeated, "and in this way we'll always be together. With Sasuke as well – he won't mind."

_Oh... I'm sure he won't..._ Itachi sighed with resignation and tried to come up with something that would allow him to deal quickly with that unusual situation he found himself into. Judging by Naruto's expression, the boy was dead serious and only a strong argument could be used to convince the boy that maybe marrying Itachi wasn't something that the boy should do one day.

_To think that this morning I didn't even have a girlfriend, but now I have a fiancée apparently... a male fiancée._

If not for the situation, he would start to laugh at all that marriage related talk, but he couldn't. Not when Naruto was involved, because he knew that such a reaction would hurt Naruto's feeling and it wasn't something that Itachi wanted.

"Listen, Naruto..." He took a deep breath before he continued. "I don't think you could marry me..."

"Why?" The immediate reply came. "Would it be so bad if I was your husband?"

"I... I don't think you can be my husband..." Itachi said slowly.

"Huh? I can't?"

The boy pondered on the thought for a while and Itachi started to congratulate himself on finishing the talk so quickly... but the boy still had something to say.

"Doesn't matter, I can be a wife, too!" Naruto declared cheerfully after a while and smiled happily at Itachi.

With some effort Itachi suppressed the sudden urge to hit his forehead against the wall or something like that, as the talk definitely didn't go in the direction it should go in Itachi's opinion.

"I meant... that it's not common for two men to get married..." He made another try at explaining.

"But why?" Naruto inquired. "Isn't a marriage about living together with your special someone and be happy?"

"I don't think it's _that_ simple." A forced smile appeared on Itachi's face when he heard a simplified and rather twisted definition of a marriage in Naruto's version. At the same time he couldn't denied that there _was_ something true about it – after all shouldn't it be what marriage was about?

"What is to be complicated here?' Naruto pouted. "'Tachi is my special person, so I know I would be happy with him."

Itachi blinked, somewhat surprised at the statement itself and the determination with which the words were said. Not that what he had just heard was unpleasant – quite the contrary – but it was something rather unexpected and declared in a rather unusual way.

"But isn't Sasuke your special person, too?" he asked quietly after a short while. "You two are really good friends, aren't you?"

"Sasuke is Sasuke, Itachi is Itachi," Naruto shook his head and gave Itachi a serious look. "Itachi is special, so why shoult it not work in the end?"

For some unknown reason Itachi felt... defeated. It was clearly obvious that continuing the discussion in this way would lead to nowhere as he couldn't think of any argument that would convince Naruto to forget about that marriage related stuff. Besides, it definitely wasn't something that Itachi wanted to think about or fight with at midnight, especially if it would include a discussion with that little and rather stubborn boy whom Naruto was. There was only one possibility left. _If you can't fight, escape._

"Listen. Naruto..." he finally said, trying to sound as serious as possible. "I don't know answers to your questions about marriage and happiness, not yet at least, and I couldn't say if such a marriage would be good or bad. That's why I think that we should be back to this talk later. In a few months, or even years maybe, okay?"

"Promise?" Naruto glanced at him, with his brows knitted and a serious look on his face.

"Promise." Itachi nodded, kind of glad that he managed to postpone the talk.

"Okay!" Naruto grinned and then he did something that Itachi didn't expect at all. Quickly, he kneeled by the older boy's side, took Itachi's face in his hands and planted a kiss on the tip of Itachi's nose.

"The promise sealed!" He grinned again.

To say that Itachi was surprised would be a huge understatement here. He was sitting there, dumbfounded, with his eyes wide open and it took quite a long while before he regained his ability to think and speak again.

"What was THAT?!" he blurted out after regaining his composure.

"The girls say that all promises should be sealed with a kiss," Naruto explained and smiled innocently. "And that's what my mum calls a kiss of real love."

A pair of clear, blue eyes met with a pair of almost black ones.

Itachi shook his head, finally accepting that once more he was defeated – _utterly_ defeated – by this little boy and his twisted logic. "Definitely, some things will never change," he sighed. Then he reached out his hand and ruffled Naruto's hair, making the boy giggle.

"Are you ready to sleep now?" he asked, smiling gently at Naruto.

"Um... kinda..." the boy nodded.

"Not afraid of the nightmare?"

"Not at all." Naruto grinned at him. "Because I finally realized that 'Tachi from my dream was like real 'Tachi."

"Was he?" Once again a forced smile appeared on Itachi's face as he didn't really know how to react to the statement. In fact he wasn't sure if he really wanted to be compared to that unreal version of him, who, according to Naruto's tale, was a cause of Naruto and Sasuke's suffering.

"Yup." The boy nodded vigorously. "You see... he wasn't bad... and his eyes were always so sad. I should have realized earlier that he was just lonely."

Itachi said nothing. Not that he really knew what to say, though. After a short while he decided that maybe it would be better to accept Naruto's version – if the boy claimed that Itachi from the dream wasn't a villain, then so it must have been. Besides, it wasn't Itachi's dream after all, and no matter how detailed Naruto's tale had been, he hadn't been able to say everything.

"Think I am lonely, too?" he asked after a while.

"Nope. Not anymore." The boy smiled cheerfully and gave him a hug. "Because now 'Tachi has us both, Sasuke and me."

"Good point here." Itachi nodded, trying to keep a serious face, but his lips curved slightly, revealing how amused he was by the statement. Only Itachi could say how true the statement was. Indeed, Naruto must have had some special talent for revealing hidden truths.

"Can I stay here for now? Please, oh please!" Naruto begged.

Once again a pair of blue eyes, filled with plea and hope, looked at Itachi so expectantly that he just couldn't refuse. Besides, was there anyone that could resist that "puppy eyes" look?

"Okay." Itachi sighed, "but for half an hour only. And then you're back to Sasuke's room."

"Sure!" The boy grinned. "Read me something?"

"Why not?" Itachi thought. "At least he won't start another twisted talk if his mind is occupied with a story..."

He picked one of a few Sasuke's books that he kept on the night-table just in case his little brother appeared in his room in the middle of the night and some special means were needed to calm him down. "Knights and dragons," he thought. "Not a bad choice." Such a story seemed to be something that Naruto could like and maybe even needed at the moment. He switched the lamp to the "normal light" mode, leaned back against the wall and started to read it aloud.

Naruto curled up by his side, tightly hugging the dinosaur to his chest. Minutes were passing one by one and the boy was slowly losing his fight with sleepiness. His eyelids became heavier and heavier and the boy started to yawn.

Itachi stopped reading and glanced at Naruto. It was obvious to him that it was matter of minutes only before Naruto fell asleep.

"Don't stop," Naruto mumbled and his eyes closed – the boy lost his fight with tiredness.

"And what am I to do with you now?" Itachi sighed and pondered on the thought for a while, before he finally decided that maybe it would be better to let Naruto sleep here, in his bed.

Carefully, he wrapped the blanket around the sleeping boy and watched him for a while, smiling. He reached out his hand and brushed the hair away from Naruto's face. Then he turned off the lamp and lay down on the bed, next to Naruto. After a short while the both boys were sleeping soundly.

Outside, the thunderstorm finally passed.

* * *

One hour later Mikoto was standing in the door of Itachi's room, watching the sleeping boys and smiling. She couldn't deny that there was something heartwarming in that view. "Oh... Itachi, my poor, little boy. You're definitely too good-hearted for your own sake," she thought seeing how most of the bed was now occupied by Naruto and the pink dinosaur and there was only a little part of it left for Itachi. Her son definitely wasn't to feel extremely well in the morning.

"Mikoto, darling, please don't panic, but Naruto is not in Sasuke's room..." She heard her husband's whisper and saw him coming in her direction.

"I know," she replied closing the door. "He's here."

"But… what is he doing there?"

She almost chuckled seeing how surprised her husband looked.

"Sleeping, I assume, my little genius," she replied and caught her husband's hand. "Come, you don't want to wake the boys, do you?"

Fugaku obediently followed her.

* * *

**THE END**

**A/N:** Prompt used: Night.

I hope you liked it :is anxious: I've decided that now, when the manga is filled with angst, we all need something less serious. Thus the story. It's my little tribute to the boy that we got a chance to see in the chapter 402. Also... How many of you caught these ItaNaru vibes in the chapter 403? XDD

Anyway, I was to explain myself. The story would have been updated 3 months ago if not for one, little obstacle – the story I was writing then mutated and turned into a long monster. It's already been submitted here, so check that one if you want. The title is **If I Found Right Words to Say** and unlike **The Fox and the Weasel**, which is ItaNaru-ish, it's fully ItaNaru :) It's an AU story about Itachi and Naruto mainly and about how they try to deal with some... stuff. And by AU I do mean AU – the world similar to the one we live in. Hopefully, I should upload the next chapter soon.

Also... There is one more ItaNaru-ish one shot I wrote last year, **What One Might Learn**.

Enjoy these two for the time being, while I'll be working on the stories. I've already got the idea for the next one :giggle:

Magi


	5. Forgotten

After 4 months you get a long story (over 7790 words), together with my apologies.

**And here goes an announcement** – **from now on the series will be updated irregularly** – mainly when I have time to write (sorry, but the real life has seriously been getting in a way with everything recently). So read and enjoy, and savour this moment. And please, feed my muse XD;

* * *

**Title: Forgotten  
Genre:** General/Angst  
**Rating:** K+/PG  
**Characters:** Naruto, Sakura, Sai, Itachi (in a way...)  
**Summary:** One day Naruto gets a mysterious package which sender is unknown. Trying to figure out who the sender is, he finds the key to his forgotten memories. A story about the friendship long lost and forgotten.  
**Warnings:** er... How to say it... The story itself is not really spoilerish, even though I admit having used the part of the dialogue from chapter 403 (if you read it, you'll figure out which part is it.) Placed at not really determined time, after the mission on Tenchikyou (the Bridge of Heaven and Earth). If you really want to put it in canon, you know where to place it. The story is kind of related to my other story, **What One Might Learn**.

**Sadly, I do not own Naruto.**

The story was brought to you thanks to two songs: _If We Hold On Together_ by Diana Ross and _A Bad Dream_ by Keane.

**!! ANOUNCEMENT !! (May 6th, 2009)**

It appears that this story has been nominated to the ItaNaru Contest Awards in the category Best One-Shot in Angst/Tragedy and Best WIP in Angst/Tragedy. Whoever you are, you who nominated this story... Thank you :bows: You have my eternal gratitude.

More information about the contest here: http:// community. livejournal. com / itanaru_award /

* * *

**Forgotten**

Ravens are flying around him, surrounding him like a large, oddly-shaped cloud. Their flapping wings make little noise, but the feathers are gently brushing Naruto's skin and hair every time one of them comes closer to him, reminding him that it all is not as unreal as it seems to be. It's not that he's afraid of the ravens – he knows well enough that it's a genjutsu, nothing more – but the one who's created them and brought them into this twisted reality should definitely be feared.

Behind the ravens, Naruto can see Itachi, or rather the form Itachi has taken in that unreal world he has created. The man is hovering above him and his black cloak – or rather that part of it that the Uchiha has decided to keep in his illusion – moves slowly as if moved by gusts of wind. Itachi's pale skin draws a strong – maybe even stronger than usual – contrast with his dark hair and his cloak. There is no emotion on Itachi's face and his eyes gleam with that scary red that only a Sharingan might give them, so Naruto quickly averts his glance, suddenly remembering what other technique could be used on him.

Naruto's jaw tightens and his fists clench when he thinks about how easily he's fallen into this genjutsu. All of sudden anger appears and a glint of determination shines in Naruto's eyes, because there is no way he would just give in and let the man catch him and take to wherever Akatsuki hides.

"I'll say it once more. I only wish to talk with you," Itachi declares, but his words don't seem to convince Naruto, who scowls at Itachi in the reply.

Naruto's mind is focused on finding the way of breaking this illusion and freeing himself from the genjutsu created by the Uchiha. He prepares himself for this inevitable fight and tries to fight back all his hesitance and anxiety and replace them with determination. Once again his eyes turn to Itachi.

Itachi's eyes seem to gleam with a scary light, drawing Naruto's attention to them. Naruto tries to avert his look, because he knows that looking in this Sharingan is something that he definitely should not do under any circumstances. For some reason, however, he loses this fight. He looks into these eyes, gets lost in them and...

Naruto's eyes snap open. He sits abruptly in the bed and looks around, suddenly awoken from his dream. His heart pounds heavily in his chest, as if he ran many miles, and his hands tremble uncontrollably until he finally clutches his fingers on the blanket. It takes him a few seconds to realize that there is no Itachi around and that the whole scene was only a dream. Or maybe calling it a dream is not the best word that could be used here, as it all is a part of his past – something that has already happened and will probably never happen again.

His glance travels to the clock and he squints, trying to see it better. He frowns when his brain, still refusing to fully wake up, is slowly processing the image registered by his eyes.

"Is anybody there?" Suddenly, a voice from behind the door shouts, interrupting Naruto's pondering.

The boy blinks, tilts his head, once again glances at the clock and then a sudden realization comes.

_I overslept, damn it!_

Quickly he jumps out of the bed and rushes toward the entrance door, his bare feet pounding on the floor. He doesn't even bother to change his pyjamas to some other clothes, but it doesn't matter in a situation like this, especially that he _knows_ who is standing behind the door.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan, I couldn't fall asleep and..." he blurts out while opening the door, but whatever he wanted to say is immediately forgotten when his eyes rest on his visitor.

The person standing in front of him definitely isn't Sakura.

His glance slides over his unexpected visitor – an unknown, young woman having short, dark hair, tanned skin and brown eyes, and wearing some strange uniform-like clothes in a colour of ashes.

Naruto stares blankly at the woman, currently frowning at him and seeming somewhat annoyed, and for a short while he wonders how on earth he managed to mistake her voice, somewhat harsh and hoarse, for that of Sakura, which definitely sounds... well... different.

It's then that a few other things occur to him.

First, he's managed to completely forget that it is his free day – the first one in last few, _long_ days – so it wouldn't really matter if he's overslept or not. Second, if not on the mission, Sakura always spends mornings in the hospital, healing and learning, so there is no reason why Sakura should come here at this hour. Third... wait... is there _any_ third here?

"Uzumaki Naruto?"

The train of his thoughts is abruptly disrupted by that sharp voice and Naruto looks at the woman, blinking.

_Why does she know my name?_

He gives her a somewhat suspicious look, but the woman seems to be completely oblivious to it – or maybe she doesn't really care about it; he can't say – as that annoyed expression on her face has changed to the bored one.

"That's me," he finally answers, still watching her warily. There is no reason why anybody should look for him here, especially somebody whom he hasn't met before. However, some quiet voice in his head whispers that it all might be a part of some plan schemed by Akatsuki or maybe even by his main pursuer, Itachi, even though the man is officially considered missing and they still haven't made sure if he is alive or not.

"Fine. I have a package for you," the woman replies and hands him a small box. "I need your signature here." She gives him something that looks like a notepad and points the place in which Naruto should sign it.

Naruto, still feeling rather dumbfounded, moves his glance from the package to the notepad and then he stares at the woman, his disbelief clearly visible on his face.

"But... I don't know anybody that would like to send me a package," he blurts out finally. "There must be some mistake here."

"There is none." The woman shrugs and points at the package she gave him. "The name and the address are correct, so here you have it. And now just sign the paper – I don't want to spend the whole day here."

All of sudden her facial expression changes and she gives him a _look_ – one look only and not even a glare – but it almost makes Naruto step back, shivering, so he quickly writes his name on the paper.

The woman takes the papers from him, glances at them and smiles cheerfully.

"Have a good day!" she exclaims and disappears with a quiet "puff", leaving stupefied Naruto behind.

He stands in the door for a short while, staring at the place where the woman was standing just a while before.

"What on earth was that?" he mutters and moves his eyes to the package.

He eyes it suspiciously, knitting his brows. Having discovered no direct threat, he enters his apartment, closing the door behind him, and slowly makes his way toward the kitchen, holding the package in his hand. He puts the package on the table and lets it lie there for all this time during which he's pacing around, doing what he does every morning – taking shower, brushing his teeth, dressing, preparing the breakfast, eating it and cleaning the dishes. And for all this time his mind is focused on the package and he keeps darting curious glances at it.

This little thing is like a top of the iceberg – it's only one of many problems he's got so far. With a sigh he leans against the cupboard and looks at the ceiling, once again remembering them all.

First, there is Sasuke and his sudden disappearance. Disappearance – just _disappearance_ – because Naruto is sure that the bastard is alive somewhere over there and will appear sooner or later, safe and sound and obviously making fun of all of them. Second, there is Akatsuki and their constant hunt for him, a Jinchuuriki, and the nine-tailed best sealed in him. And third...

That's right; there is a third _thing_, too. Naruto bites his lips and knits his brows, thinking about what's added him new worries and, partially, is a reason of his recent problems with falling asleep.

_Uchiha... Itachi..._

He rubs his forehead and tries to focus his mind on something that would not be related to the older of the Uchiha brothers, but for some reason it appears to be impossible.

He's aware that recently he's been spending much – too much maybe – time on wondering about what Itachi tried to tell him, but no matter how hard he tries, he still can't figure it out. There is something inside of him, however – some hidden determination or curiosity – that makes him try to discover what exactly felt off back then, when he and Itachi met in the forest.

Why this one time, unlike the other times, Itachi didn't do anything to catch Naruto, but talked about Sasuke instead?

Naruto frowns at this sudden thought. No matter how many times he thinks about it, it's not a question he could answer; at least not in the way that would make some sense. Hadn't he known the story of the brothers, he could have thought that Itachi really cared about the boy being the last member of his family and the only other Uchiha left. Itachi, however, is Itachi – the clan slayer and the man that has brought suffering to both, Sasuke and Naruto himself. Why in that case should Itachi care?

"That's right why should _he_ care?" He laughs nervously, but the strange feeling aroused in his heart does not disappear.

"On the other hand... Why should _I_ care so much about what happened there...?" Naruto scowls at the sudden realization. "Shouldn't I do something...? Something that would..."

A scowl on his face turns into a serious expression when he looks around, trying to find something that would occupy his mind and let him not think about Itachi. His glance moves around the kitchen, sliding over the furniture and his belongings and finally it rests on the table and the package. He frowns, once again remembering the way it was delivered.

"Come to think of it, that woman has to be a shinobi, too," he mutters, coming closer to the table and eyeing the package suspiciously. "Could it be a trap after all?"

He sits down by the table and leans forth, putting his forearms on the table and then resting his chin on them and focusing his eyes on the package. He's sitting like that for a longer while, doing nothing but watching. After some time he slowly moves his hand and lets it rest on the package. His fingers move lazily over the paper in which it's wrapped, as if drawing some invisible patterns on it. Finally, he takes the package in his hands and starts to examine it carefully.

The package is strange;, there is no doubt about it. It's rather small, no bigger than a book, and wrapped in a plain, greyish paper. His own name is written on it in a neat handwriting – easy to read, but, unfortunately, completely unknown to him. For a short while he gazes at it, admiring these elegant, firm lines forming the letters, and wondering what kind of a person the sender could be. He turns the package about and frowns when he realizes that there is no sender's name on it.

"What kind of joke is it?" he mutters, scowling at the package.

Common sense tells him that he should not open something that came from an unknown sender as it could be a trap. Curiosity, however, is much stronger. That quiet voice in his head, whispering that the package should not be opened, is quickly deaden and Naruto, with shaking hands, tears the wrapping apart.

Nothing explodes, the package doesn't turn into anything nasty and Naruto lips curl into a nervous smile when he sees a small carton box and a single card put on the top of it. He takes the card in his hands and reads it.

_Don't lose your way._

Naruto blinks and the smile disappears from his face, replaced by a frown.

The note is written with the same handwriting that the address is and it seems to Naruto that the sender should be known to him. Only that, no matter how hard he tries, he still can't think of anybody that would like to send him anything in such a way.

He puts the card on the table, and takes the box. For a while he hesitates if he should open it or not, still feeling somewhat afraid of what might be hidden inside. He turns the box about for some time before he finally makes his decision.

"Curiosity killed the cat..." he mutters with a very serious expression on his face and opens the box. "Satisfaction brought it back. Eeeh?"

Naruto's eyes widen when the contents of the box is finally exposed.

Inside the box, there is one thing only – something that looks like a book in a hardcover.

Naruto looks blankly at the dark cover with no title imprinted on it. With a frown on his face, he reaches forth and touches the book. Tips of his fingers slide across the smooth, leather-like surface for a longer while before he finally takes the book in his hands. The frown does not disappear when he turns the book around, expecting to find something – the title or the author's name maybe – written on it, but he finds nothing. The frown deepens when he opens the book and realizes that his initial assumption was wrong and the thing is not a book, but some kind of a notebook rather.

"What kind of thing is it?" Naruto mumbles finally, leafing through the notebook.

He doesn't need much time to realize that the card, the address on the package and the notes were written by the same hand. Obviously, he can see some difference. Naruto quite quickly notices that the notebook must have been used by the mysterious person for quite a long time as the handwriting on the first pages, even though extremely neat, lacks that _elegance_ which it later displayed.

It's then that for the first time an image of the mysterious sender appears in Naruto's mind. The vision is blurry and Naruto can't see any details as his imagination fails him, but he's sure that the previous owner of this notebook is a man. He imagines a boy, just a few years younger than him, and a smile appears on his face when for a short while he _sees_ that young, dark-haired boy sitting in a neat and tidy room, and writing something in the notebook. The boy is wearing dark clothes and his hair is long and tied in a ponytail on his back. The hair is longer than what ninja usually have, but for some reason it fits him perfectly; Naruto has to admit it. His imagined sender looks somewhat familiar, however, Naruto can't recognize him.

This vision is realistic – maybe even too realistic as it looks almost like some memory – and Naruto's smile disappears, replaced by worry as his "vision" and imagination definitely do not explain who the person might be.

"What kind of a person would send me such a thing?" he whispers, pouting a bit. "If they know my name, they should know me, shouldn't they?"

He eyes the notebook once again. A short while passes and some realization comes – if he is to find any clue, he should read the notes.

He opens the notebook on the first page and starts to read it only to stop after a few seconds.

He squints, turns a few pages and tilts his head. His eyes move from one line to another, he reads the letters, tries to form words from them, but what he reads makes no sense.

"What on earth is this?" he exclaims and scowls. "These notes can't be read!"

He leans back in the chair and glances at the open notebook.

"Why would anybody write it in such a way?" he mumbles. "Why to write something that can't be read?"

He turns his glance to the window and for a short while he watches white clouds moving lazily through the clear, blue sky. A gentle breeze is playing with a thin, white curtain partially covering the open window. A few sunbeams filter shyly through the curtain and start to move through the wooden floor, as if dancing on it. He doesn't really see any of it, however. Lost in his thoughts, he's also unaware of well hearable noise made by birds chirping cheerfully behind the window and people in the street below.

"Why was it written in such a way?" he repeats and scratches his head.

_Ninja should never allow anybody to read their private notes._

Naruto flinches at this sudden thought which popped up in his mind out of nowhere. His eyes move slowly to the table and the book lying on it and a new question appears. Could it be that the one who sent him the notebook is a ninja as well? In that case... Were the notes coded by their author?

A wide grin spreads across his face when he thinks about the challenge awaiting him. Quickly he stands up, goes to the cupboard and grabs a pencil and a piece of paper lying on it. Then he sits down by the table again.

"Let's see it again..." Naruto's eyes shine with enthusiasm when he utters the words.

This enthusiasm, however, as well as his smile start to fade after a few minutes as, despite his multiple tries and efforts, he can't break the code.

"Oh... screw it!" he exclaims after another failure and scowls at the notebook and his own notes made on the piece of paper. "Why should anybody send me something that I can't even read?!"

He looks helplessly at his notes, tapping nervously on the table. He's already used all the codes he's learnt and the idea of asking somebody for help seems to be more and more appealing with every second that passes. However, he's not ready to give up, not yet.

His eyes focus on the notebook and the text and _something_ happens. A sudden thought or realization comes, and Naruto remembers one more code he learnt so long time ago that he can't even tell when exactly it happened. The code is easy – too easy in Naruto's opinion as it's all about replacing letters – and the idea that the mysterious person could use that code seems to be almost impossible, but he decides to try it anyway.

He uses it on the first sentence and blinks, because the code seems to work. Quickly he decodes one more sentence and another and after a short while he's able to read the whole paragraph. He glances at his notes and a smile appears on his face again.

He tries to read some other page and another and to his relief he discovers that it was written with using the same code. He giggles, feeling rather proud of himself, because finally he is able to read the notebook without asking anybody for help.

He's so excited about his little discovery that his initial aim – finding out who the sender and the author of the notebook is – is almost forgotten. He turns a few pages and starts to read the notes in the notebook. Unfortunately, the text is about genjutsu, so he only takes a brief look at it, wincing. Genjutsu related techniques have never been his strong point and they never will, so he sees no point in reading about them.

The next page he opens seems to be promising; Naruto smiles when he sees quite a long passage about some technique improving speed. Taking into consideration how fast Sasuke seemed to be last time they both met, a technique like this one would be more than useful and Naruto makes a mental note to try it out later, after reading the passage carefully.

He focuses on reading, with some surprise and contentment realizing that the previous owner of the notebook did a great job here – the notes give a lot of additional information, explaining miscellaneous aspects of the technique and pointing its strong and weak points. He shakes his head in amazement, quickly gaining some respect and admiration for the author who turned that simple notebook into a kind of a handbook. There is a short while when he regrets having just few teachers like the person who wrote down the notes – people who are able to explain even the most difficult things in the easiest way – but the thought quickly disappears and once again he focuses his mind on reading.

And then, on a new page he finds something that once again brings a wide smile to his face.

"Oh, man..." He blinks as if it was hard to believe in what he sees. "Somehow I get a feeling that we would get along well!" he exclaims after finding the passage explaining techniques related to using clones and this newly discovered connection between him and that mysterious person makes him rather happy.

With a smile, he reads the passage carefully, focusing entirely on the activity, and he almost misses a gentle knock on the door. The knocking can be heard again and Naruto turns his head to the door, wondering if he should answer it or not, as at the moment the notebook seems to be more interesting than meeting anybody.

"I know that you're there, Naruto." Sakura's sharp voice cuts through his ponderings. "And believe me that you _want_ to open the door."

Naruto shudders at the threat clearly hearable in her voice and rushes to open the door. Once the door is unlocked, it immediately is pushed inside and Naruto needs to jump back in order to avoid being hit by it. When he looks at the door again, he sees Sakura standing in them, with her hands on her hips and her eyes narrowed.

"Sorry, Sakura-chan." He laughs nervously seeing the look on her face – the look that definitely would scare everyone. "I was reading..."

She eyes him searchingly, with her brows knitted, and pouts her lips.

"Reading, you say?" She fixes her eyes on Naruto as if trying to see if what Naruto said is true or not. "Not trying to... _hide_?"

Naruto flinches.

"Of course not," he quickly denies and smiles forcefully, deciding that it would be better not to mention what he thought when he first heard the knocking. "I was focused on the book, that's all."

"On the book, you say..." Sakura repeats, pouting her lips. And then, in a blink of the eye, her attitude changes. "Okay then."

She smiles at him cheerfully, and for a short while Naruto thinks that her sudden mood swings are definitely the most terrifying thing in the world.

"I was around, so I thought I could pop by..." she chirps cheerfully and comes closer to Naruto, handing him a little pack with some cake.

Naruto stares at her, somewhat stunned.

"You know, Sakura, usually people say that they are worried," a calm voice coming from the door adds and Sakura flinches hearing the words. She gives the newcomer a murderous look, but at least this one time she doesn't try to punch him and only murmurs something under her breath.

Naruto has to pursue his lips in order not to burst out laughing. Quickly he turns to his other teammate.

"Hello, Naruto." Sai appears in the door. His lips curve slightly, forming something that could be call a smile. "Sorry for the intrusion."

"I don't mind," Naruto declares and smiles at both. "Come in and feel at home."

He rushes to the kitchen, followed by Sakura. He's bustling around preparing something to drink and Sakura is slicing the cake. After a few seconds Sai joins them and sits down by table. Sakura finishes slicing the cake, puts it on the plates and takes it to the table while Naruto is pouring some juice to glasses.

"Is it what you read?" Sakura asks all of sudden.

He turns to her, at first not really sure what she is asking about.

Sakura's standing by the table, looking at the notebook about which he managed to forgot for a while, and her fingers move around it as if she wanted to touch the cover, but she couldn't.

"Yeah..." Naruto admits, handing her the glass and giving the other one to Sai. "I got it in the mail today."

"In the mail?" Sakura sips her juice and cocks her eyebrow, exchanging looks with Sai. "Who sent it?"

"How can I know?" Naruto pouts in the answer. "It wasn't written on the package."

Having heard the words, Sai gives Naruto a strange look. Sakura chokes on the juice she's drinking and coughs for a while long enough to bring concerned expressions to Naruto's and Sai's faces. The latter even stands up, ready to offer a friendly pat on her back, but, seeing the look she casts him, he quickly resigns from the idea and sits down by table.

"Naruto..." Sakura utters slowly when she's finally able to speak again; her voice is suspiciously calm. "You got some suspicious package and you just... opened it like that?"

"Yeah..." Naruto looks at her blankly and scratches his head. "But nothing happened, so it's okay, isn't it?"

"It's not okay," she drawls, frowning. "It could have been... it might be a trap."

"C'mon, Sakura-chan." Naruto pouts. "Nothing happened. Besides, it's a book only. Actually a notebook. What kind of a trap might be hidden in it?"

"Actually, it could be a trap." Sai joins the conversation all of sadden, making both, Naruto and Sakura gape at him.

Sai, still sitting by the table, is holding the notebook in his hand and glancing at them with a serious expression on his face. "Somebody could put a poison in it or a drug or some other nasty stuff, you know. You never can be sure until you check it... However, it's not the case here I think." He finishes the thought quickly, seeing a bit panicked expression on Naruto's paled face and the angered you-are-not-helping-here glare that Sakura gives him.

"Don't worry, Naruto, if there had been a poison in the notebook, you'd be dead already," Sakura states, trying to sound reassuringly, and gives Sai a warning look, which at least this time is properly interpreted by him, as he says nothing more. "Can I take a look at the notebook?"

Naruto, somewhat reassured, nods and Sai gives Sakura the notebook. She browses through it and with every page turned the frown on her face deepens. She casts Sai a questioning look, and in the response Sai barely noticeably shakes his head. She turns a few more pages and gives Naruto an unreadable look.

"Can you read it?" she asks quietly.

"Sure," Naruto declares grinning, "but it gave me some hard time before I realized what code had been used there."

Sakura and Sai exchange their looks again.

"What is written here?" she inquires.

"Erm... You can't read it?" Naruto gapes at her.

"I can't. And neither can Sai apparently." Sakura answers after a short while. Neither she nor Sai mention what seems to be obvious now – the notebook and its contents is meant for Naruto and Naruto only, so maybe there is no hidden ill intention here. "So... what is it about?"

Naruto looks at her, stunned. He didn't expect such a thing to happen.

"About ninja techniques," he finally explains. "Like some genjutsu or some strange jutsu increasing one's speed." His face brightens when he remembers what else he found there. "And clones. Oh man, can you believe it? The person must be my soulmate!"

Sakura only nods in the reply, not really sure what else could be said here. She returns the book to Naruto and intends to sit down next to Sai when she notices a piece of paper lying in front of the latter.

"What's that?" She takes the paper in her hands.

"A drawing." Sai replies. "It was in the notebook."

"What? I haven't seen it." Naruto frowns and stands next to Sakura. Now they both look at the drawing.

The drawing is simple – just a few curved lines forming a long, slender body with a tile as long as the creature on the paper and a snake with which the creature seems to be fighting.

"What on earth..." Sakura mutters.

"Weasel," Sai replies and shrugs.

Naruto nods in the reply – now that Sai mentioned it, he can recognize the vermin in the picture. The word, however, seems to evoke some memories, something that has been long forgotten. It's almost there – at the edge of his subconsciousness and memory, coming closer with every second that passes. He frowns and stiffens, but the memory doesn't appear.

Sakura's reaction is different. Having heard Sai's comment, she tosses her head and glares at Sai. "Didn't I tell you not to mention _his_ name?" she hisses and quickly glances at Naruto.

"A vermin, Sakura." Sai gives her a blank look. "That's what I meant."

Sakura gapes at him and her cheeks slowly turn red.

Naruto moves his glance from Sai to Sakura. He should have known that Sakura will try to protect him in her own way and not mentioning anything related to the Uchihas is obviously a part of it. He sighs, intending to assure Sakura that he's fine with the names and that actually he finds the situation funny – _oh man, who would have suspected that Sakura would wrongly interpret the words_ – but then something unexpected happens.

_(– "I still think that it's unfair that you know my name, but I don't know yours!" Naruto exclaims and, pouting, he glances at the young ANBU standing in front of him. Not that he really believes that the ANBU will tell him his name, but it costs nothing to ask._

_The ANBU stands still, he doesn't move any muscle, so it's impossible to say what his reaction to the question is. Is he angry? Surprised? Indifferent? Naruto can't say and once again he regrets that the ANBU's face is hidden behind the mask and that he can't see it. Maybe if he could see the face, he could say something about what the other boy is thinking at the moment. _

_Seconds pass one by another and slowly Naruto loses his hope for getting the answer. He saddens and looks away, intending to say good-bye to the boy and go away._

_"Itachi." The man says all of sudden and Naruto almost flinches hearing his voice._

_Naruto blinks and looks around searching for said weasel. Having seen none, he scowls at the man. Really... Was it necessary to use such tricks on him instead of refusing to tell him the name?_

_"Making fun of me?" He frowns. "I can't see any weasel here."_

_"It's my name, silly." The ANBU explains in a flat voice._

_"Oh..."Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Naruto loses his ability to speak_ _for a short while. "I didn't... Sorry."_

_His cheeks slowly turn red when he thinks about the faux pas having been made, but who could have expected that the ANBU would share the name as some vermin? Besides, what kind of parents would name their child in this way?_

_"Never mind." Itachi – _"Remember, it's not the ANBU; it's Itachi. His name is Itachi," Naruto reminds himself_ – waves his hand and Naruto is almost sure that the other boy smiles under the mask –)_

Naruto blinks and looks around, abruptly brought to reality from... that's right... From what exactly? Lost in his thoughts, he merely notes that Sai and Sakura are still arguing about something. He frowns. He doesn't remember any situation like the one he just saw, so it couldn't be his memory, could it? Did he really know any Itachi? Even if he did, _that_ Itachi could not be _him_, right? He shakes his head, trying to stop the thoughts and ignore what he saw, but the memory of that vision does not disappear.

He stares blankly at the notebook he holds in his hands and suddenly he remembers something. He stands up and rushes to his room. He passes Sai and Sakura, ignoring the looks they give him.

"Sorry, I have to check something," he mumbles and leaves them both in the kitchen.

In his room he goes directly to the cabinet. He pulls out the drawer and shifts through the papers he keeps there until he finally finds what he's been looking for – a small piece of paper with a few words written on it.

_Never resign from your dreams._

He stares at the note with his eyes wide open.

_It can't be. It is simply impossible._

Quickly, he opens the notebook with shaking hands. He puts the paper with the note on the first page and starts to compare the handwriting on both. His eyes are moving from one line to another, following all the words written, all the letter shapes, and the longer he looks at the page, the more sure he is that the note and the stuff in the notebook were written by the same hand.

"It can't be..." he mutters.

_No, it can and it was_. A quiet voice in his head adds after a short while.

Now he has no doubts that it all happened years ago and that what he saw is a part of his memories; the memories that are coming back to him as if finally freed from the ties binding them until now.

_(– "Why are you doing it, Naruto-kun?" Itachi asks all of sudden. "Why are you trying so hard?"_

_Naruto glances at the other boy and ponders on the answer for a while. "I try, because I want my dream to come true," he finally declares with a very serious expression on his face._

_Itachi moves slightly, as if these words reminded him about something._

_"What is your dream then?" Itachi inquires, tilting his head._

_Looking at him, Naruto does regret that the other boy's face is hidden behind that ANBU mask, as there is no way that he could check Itachi's reaction to his words. Will Itachi laugh at him after hearing them?_

_"My dream," Naruto pauses and takes a deep breath. "My dream is to make other people notice me and recognize me. And I'll do it, believe it! I'll be Hokage one day even if others claim otherwise!"_ _–)_

"How... How can it be?" he whispers, still not being able to believe in what he has just discovered. "For all this time... For all these years..."

Once again the pain he felt all these years ago – the pain related to losing a friend who disappeared without any word one day – is back. Naruto winces feeling its sharp stab. A single tear flows down his cheek, but he doesn't even notice it.

Shocked by the truth just having been revealed, he lets his hands fall along his body and his mind – his traitorous mind – brings some other memories back.

_(– "Is there really nothing that you truly want?" Naruto shakes his head, because it seems unbelievable to him that there might be people that live not having a real aim in their lives._

_"There is no..." Itachi starts uttering the phrase only to stop after a while. "No... in fact I want..."_

_There is some hesitation in his voice and Naruto is ready to bet that Itachi is frowning right now, finally realizing how close to discovering his own dream he is._

_"I want... peace and freedom..." Itachi continues slowly, yet he doesn't seem to be aware that he is actually saying it aloud. "I want ability to make my own choices... and to be seen as myself..." –)_

Naruto shakes his head as if trying to get rid of the memory that has suddenly appeared in his mind. Unfortunately, not only it doesn't disappear, but it also brings some mixed and barely identifiable feelings.

"Dreams?" he drawls. "You must be kidding me... Itachi..."

He scowls at the notebook and the piece of paper in his hands, involuntarily clutching his fingers on them.

It's impossible that his Itachi – the person who volunteered to teach him all these years ago and who became his mentor and his friend – could be the same Itachi that destroyed Sasuke's life and hunted for him, Naruto, together with Akatsuki. There is no way that that person could be the same man. There is... no way...?

_(– "Would you be able to stop him... even if it meant to kill Sasuke?" Itachi inquires and his eyes focus on Naruto._

_For some reason Naruto feels entrapped. Not only has he already been caught in that genjutsu, but now he can't even free himself from the sharp look of these eyes._

Damn it! I won't let him defeat me – not in such a way!

_Naruto bites his lips and decides to do his best while fighting the man._

_"Can you choose between Konoha and Sasuke?" Itachi continues the thought after a short while._

_Naruto eyes widen when he hears Itachi speak. Shall he be surprised by the question? He can't tell. These words, however... These words... They make him feel uneasy and there is something strange about them – something weird – and not really fitting the situation they are in. The answer, however, is obvious and Naruto doesn't hesitate even for a second to say what should be said._

_"I'd protect the village and stop Sasuke without killing him!" he declares and gapes seeing that Itachi smiles at him –)_

Naruto blinks at this memory, feeling somewhat confused. Itachi who hunted for the Kyuubi's Jinchuuriki would have never said such words, but... the words were said. Only that they fitted more the boy he had known long time ago than Itachi who stood there in front of him.

Slowly his mind starts to process the information and finally he begins to notice connections between things that seemed to be completely unrelated not so long time ago. His mind, however, still refuses to accept the conclusion to which they lead and Naruto focuses on finding something that would prove him wrong.

The name... How many boys sharing the same name and being about the same age that his friend and Itachi were could there be? Not that many probably. Obviously that name could be fake, but was it really? And didn't _his_ Itachi mention once that he had a brother? Naruto winces.

He glances at the notebook, remembering the techniques described in it. Could he attribute them to Itachi? Itachi is fast, no doubt about it, and Naruto winces again, remembering how many times he's been caught in his genjutsu. What about clones? Naruto frowns, trying to remember something more from their meetings. Has Itachi ever used clones? A ray of hope shines for a few seconds only, as soon he remembers that Itachi indeed used clones at least once.

He scowls, seeing how each argument brought confirms his suspicions instead of allaying them. His glance once again rests on the note.

The note... How did he know that it was Itachi that had written it? With some effort he tries to recall this particular memory and he bites his lips, focused on remembering the past. He knew it, because...

"A few days before that day he taught me a simple code..." Naruto eyes widen at this revelation. "The same code that was used in the notebook. And it happened a few days before... _that day_." Naruto pales, finally remembering the date.

Only a day or two later the kids at the academy started to gossip about Sasuke's family having been slaughtered...

"Itachi I knew and Itachi I later met..." he whispers, his eyes wide open in a shock, "are the same person...? But how is it possible to change so much?"

An image of young Itachi – a calm, serious and caring boy who, unlike the other villagers, didn't particularly mind that Naruto was a Kyuubi's container – blends in his mind with older Itachi – a man that still is calm and serious, but who also seems to be ruthless and has that strange aura of solitude and loneliness around him.

His glance once again moves to the notebook. For a short while he wonders what he should do about this thing now, knowing who wrote it and who sent it to him, and wondering if it poses a direct threat or not.

"Naruto... are you okay?" A quiet voice coming from behind his back brings him back to reality.

"Ah sorry, Sakura-chan..." he mutters, his voice still shaking a bit, and turns to her.

She's standing in the door, resting her hand on the frame. She's looking at him and doesn't even try to hide the fact that she's worried about him. Behind her, there is also Sai and, although there is no emotion visible on his face, there is something about the look of his dark eyes that tells him that Sai is also worried. Well... in a way.

Sakura stares at Naruto for a while before she finally averts her look.

"I'm sorry," she mutters, her voice barely hearable. "I didn't want to upset you mentioning any of... the Uchihas." Her voice quivers a bit, like every time she says that name and remembers the boy who used to be their friend.

Naruto stares at her for a while, saying no word.

"You know, it's not that it is your fault, Sakura-chan," he finally whispers, not looking at her. "I'd have remembered it sooner or later..."

"Remembered what?" Sakura blinks in confusion, but Naruto doesn't continue the thought.

Behind her back Sai shifts and stands next to Sakura, but she and Naruto makes no move. The whole room sinks into silence, but none of them tries to speak again, even though that silence and the whole situation start to be somewhat awkward.

Naruto moves his eyes to the floor and clutches his fingers on the notebook, thinking about the discovery he has made.

"Sakura-chan..." Naruto utters. "You read that files from Tsunade-baachan archives, didn't you? Was there anything about Itachi being an ANBU?"

It's not that he really needs to hear it – actually, he's almost sure that he's known the answer already – but, for some reason which he couldn't explain, he wants these words to be said.

A confused expression appears on Sakura's face as the question makes no sense to her. The question, however, seems to make some sense to Sai, as Naruto notices that the other boy casts him a thoughtful glance, before the emotion disappears from his face and his eyes again.

"He was," Sakura finally admits. "But what do you need this knowledge for?"

Naruto nods hearing the words; no surprise here, just like he expected.

"What for... I wonder," Naruto whispers, rubbing the cover of the notebook and still fighting with his mixed feelings.

"Listen, Sakura-chan... Let's say that there is a person that you know well, or at least you think you know them well. Then one day that person leaves without any word of farewell and some time later you find out that the person did something terribly wrong and keeps doing other things... bad things." Naruto pauses, not really sure what else should be said. "Then that person is back and it seems that they want to hurt you, but in the end you get something from this person. Something... precious, something that makes you stronger. What would you think about this person?"

Sakura's eyes widen and a helpless look appears on her face. She hangs her head, not really sure what to say.

"Was this person a good friend?" Sai asks all of sudden and they both look at him in surprise.

"Err... I think you could say that..." Naruto ponders on the thought for a while.

"Then..." Sai replies, "I'd think that maybe that person had a reason for doing things in such a way."

Greatly surprised, Naruto stares at Sai. Not being able to answer, he thinks about Sai's words.

Reason... Could it be that Itachi indeed had a reason?

Once again he recalls memories of those old days. Itachi in his ANBU gear, standing next to him and showing him how to throw a kunai... Itachi teaching him the code... Itachi talking about his brother – the only person that seemed to treat Itachi in a normal way... And finally Itachi finding him in the inn and... Naruto frowns. Wasn't there something off that time, too? If Itachi really wanted to catch him back then, why didn't he knock him down immediately and take with him unconscious, but talked so much instead, partially revealing Akatsuki intention? What did Itachi really want back then?

"A reason...?" he murmurs and moves his eyes to Sai, as if looking for confirmation of his thoughts. _He must have had some reason back then._

"Well... yes, some reason." Sai gives him a casual glance. "At least that's what books say." He shrugs.

Having heard such a reply, Naruto and Sakura gape at him with blank expressions on their faces as the statement is somewhat absurd taking into consideration the situation and definitely Sai-like at the same moment.

"Sai... you..." Sakura utters finally, pretending to be angry, but her lips curve in a weak smile, as Sai, with his ridiculous statement, managed to achieve something that was her aim as well.

Her gaze turns to Naruto and with some relief she notices that his mood has significantly improved – he doesn't seem to be so lost anymore and there is a gleam of determination if his eyes. He smiles gently and his hands don't clutch so desperately on the notebook anymore.

Slowly he paces toward the cabinet and puts the book on it. One more time his fingers brush the cover before he turns to Sakura and Sai.

"Thanks," Naruto says, grinning at them. "To you both."

They smile back at him and go back to the kitchen.

He follows them slowly, but something stops him. Suddenly a quiet sound comes from the open window and he turns in its direction immediately, but there is nothing there – only the curtain moved by gentle gusts of the wind and... Naruto squints. Was it his imagination only or did he really see a small, black bird there for a while?

A gentle smile appears on his face.

_Thanks... To you _all.

He turns back and leaves the room as well.

* * *

THE END  
Please, feed my muse :)

**A/N:**  
1. "Itachi" means "weasel" in Japanese (just in case you didn't know).  
2. Naruto couldn't recognize Itachi as his old friend, because he'd never seen him without the ANBU mask.

See you next time!


End file.
